Samsung MV800 (MultiView) Camera with Flip-out Cool Display

September 1, 2011

On September 1st 2011, Samsung announced the MV800. A compact digital camera with a unique hinged display. The idea of having a 180 degree upwards flip display was already heard across the photographer’s community. It seems that there is a high demand for such cameras, especially for those who love taking pictures of themselves. The thing is with the MV800 is that Samsung has already released a DualView camera two years ago, the TL225 which has a secondary front 1.5″ LCD screen for enhanced self-portrait shots. Nevertheless, Samsung have decided to build upon the success of the DualView models and release the MV800 with a unique 1080 degree articulating touch-screen. Even tough the display is the main attraction of this camera, there are some other features worth talking about. Will this Samsung MV800 be your next camera? – Let’s find out.

A Stylish Camera

When you view the camera’s front, it doesn’t look something extraordinary, in fact, it looks like a typical compact camera. However, it’s a nice looking, stylish compact camera nevertheless. The most obvious difference between a regular or a conventional articulating LCD on other cameras, is that the MV800 features an adjustable 3-inch AMOLED Flip-out touch-sensitive display. The screen’s pivot is at the top of the camera, and when you flip it, it can rotates up to 180 degrees upwards so the LCD display is facing to the front side of the camera. That means that you can take snapshots of yourself or group shots and at the same time see how the image looks with your in it.

Furthermore, the MV800 display can rotate from 0 to 180 degrees. That means that you can use it for taking shots in very high angles, which is very hard to compose with a fixed display. When comparing this flip screen to the fixed 1.5″ LCD on the TL225, the most prominent difference is the size of the screen. With the TL225 you need to be very close to the camera to see what your are shooting, and it’s mostly suitable for self-portraits, nothing more. Another good practice is to use the MV800 for a table-top shots. You can put the camera on the table and get a good glimpse of what you are shooting at and compose the shot accordingly.

All in all, it’s a compact (3.62″ x 2.21″ x .72″) all-metal and solid digital camera, with nice slick and stylish design that will appeal to the younger crowed.

Sensor and Lens

The Samsung MV800 features a 16.15MP CCD sensor. So according to the specs, this is not a BSI (Back-illuminated sensor), which is pity, considering the resolution. At the front you can find a 26-130mm F3.3-5.0 5x zoom Schneider lens. The lens extends as you zoom in and out. This is a nice range, especially considering the 26mm wide-angle focal length that this camera offers. This is not a fast lens, so don’t build on it to perform like a high-end compact in low-light. Of course this camera wasn’t design to be a high-end camera. It is targeted for the young crowed whom search for a camera with a twist. A gimmicky camera, a camera that offers something a bit more than ordinary one. A great gift for the holiday season?

So a high resolution sensor, hinge display and a high-quality Schneider lens, what more?

Hey, It Can Shoot Videos Too!

Yeh, I know, you aren’t surprised at all, me too. The MV800 does features movie recording as any other digital camera on the planet, but it only records videos in 720p30/15 resolution. So no Full HD (1080p) for the spoiled gadget lovers out there (me included). However, HD will be sufficient for many of you. After all, uploading a Full HD video to YouTube can take quite some time and it takes more space on the memory card. Nevertheless, you don’t buy this camera only for video recording, you really want to have the cool flip display, don’t you? – So it’s a compromise that you’ll have to make if you out for a unique camera or a Full HD one.

Worth mentioning that the Samsung MV800 has an HDMI port so you can connect it directly to your HDTV display.

Cool Stuff Inside

You know Samsung, it cannot be satisfied with only one surprise. But because the first surprise (hinged LCD) costs money, the next surprise needed to come in a form of a built-in software. The Samsung MV800 allows hobbyist photographers or just regular people become more creative with the a few clicks on the beautiful AMOLED touch-screen. You can create wallpaper of images with Magic Frame or use the built-in filters and special effects to come with with totally awesome images. After all, not all of us born to be designers or photographers, so with a help of the camera, we can become artists too.

Another option is called “Multiple Moments” (what a weird name but what the hack), which allows you to insert one image into another one with just a few clicks.. mm.. I meant touches. Samsung thinks it’s cool, and I have to agree, a nice function to play with. The EC-MV800 also features 12 templates that you can mix with the image that you’ve taken. There are some external software that do this, with more options, but I know that you don’t want to mass with this. so Samsung gave you this option built right in the camera – COOL!

You can also shoot 3D Photos and watch them on a 3D HDTV compatible display or Panoramic images. MV800 lets you even correct some face imperfections like blemishes and spots with a touch of a finger. This is known as “Beauty shot” and we’ve seen this feature on older models as well.

The Samsung MultiView MV800 is packed with some cool features that will certainly make many people happy when they buy this camera. I personally not a big fan of those gimmicky stuff, but this camera is not for me either.

OK, enough talking, you probably want a taste of the MV800 in video, not just boring text – so there you go..

I must admit that the video really makes this camera appear super-duper amazing, like having a computer in your camera to do crazy stuff after taking some photos. The Magic Frame is a very cool feature which allows you to blend/mask an image onto another image and create some funny images. After that just upload them to Flickr and see what other people say about it.

I must admit that I like the MV800 for what it is and what what it’s not. We don’t have any compact camera like this on the market, although I think that other vendors will follow this trend, if it’s successful (business you know..). This a MultiView camera, and we’ll probably see more models of this cool camera in the near future. For more information about this camera, visit Samsung MultiView page.